Three Tips for Implementing an Electronic Peer Review Processes

When Laura Ratcliffe, Director, Risk and Insurance Services at BayCare Health System and her colleague Cheryl Morgan, Risk Management System Specialist, first embarked on their implementation of a new electronic peer review process with RL6:PeerReview, they thought it was going to be easy.

However, accounting for the needs and opinions of all stakeholders, proved to be a bit of a journey. But with education, patience and a little creativity, Laura and Cheryl were able to implement their new module and take a big step toward a more effective and efficient electronic process.

Lesson 1: Involve the right people

During the early stages of BayCare's implementation process the team primarily involved the perspectives of leadership in the intiial build. "We realized we needed someone who was very familiar in the down-in-the-trenches process," says Cheryl.

During the test phrase, once front-line users were involved, they realized the tool had failed to capture the needs of the very people who would be using the software and the process. Once they incorporated the insights of frontline users, they were able to iterate and create a process that worked for everyone in the organization.

Lesson 2: Keep communications open

Whether it's providing job aids, clearly outlining what you'll need from participants during the testing process or sending out bulletins to keep leadership in the loop - communication is key for a successful peer review implementation.

Lesson 3: Don't be afraid to get creative

"If you have any concerns about any of the processes in the peer review module and that they won't fit your facility or system, and it's keeping you from exploring the use of the module our experience with with this tool and RL are extremely flexible. You can get creative to meet your needs and RL is willing to help," says Cheryl.

For example, BayCare's peer review process is currently a paper-software hybrid, as they transition physician reviewers over to the module. The paper form, which is designed in RL's Report Designer, allows for a seamless transition between the software and the paper aspects of their process.

Final Takeways

"One of the great things about the RL modules is that even when there isn't a great deal of flexibility there is always some flexibility, and RL helped is a a great deal in capitalizing on that," says Cheryl. She adds that the team at BayCare looks forward to even more flexibility offered by some of the newer versions of the product, "We're looking forward to moving to 6.6.3 or 6.7 in the future."